I am just about finished with a fixed gear bike . I would like to know what hub/ wheel have worked for you ? I was thinking flip flop hub. I have old school long horozontal drop outs. I am using a Stronglight crank with a 45 teeth.
So far I have not spent any money on the bike. I do have a old wheel 5 speed . I could use it I think. Or is that a bad idea ?
Thom
If you don’t mind messing with your 5 speed wheel, I heard you can weld the cassette to make it fixed. That’s the cheapest option I guess. Good luck and have fun.
Stefan
If it is a 5 speed FREEWHEEL you can just pack some grease in the freewheel body, instant fixed wheel with no welder needed. Shocking as it seems just grease will stick that sucker so it can be ridden all fixed wheel style…then you need to worry about the chain…
I don’t know of any 5-speed freehubs… So it’s a threaded hub.
Re-dish the wheel to bring the hub in the center, and thread on a track cog to that baby, with an old bottom bracket lockring (it’s the same thread size usually) and you’re good to go. Not as secure as a reverse threaded track lockring, but IS a fixed cog. I did this with an old MTB hub for my single speed… Worked pretty well. You might need to add a spacer or two to get the chainline right, but it’ll work.
If it is a 5 speed FREEWHEEL you can just pack some grease in the freewheel body, instant fixed wheel with no welder needed. Shocking as it seems just grease will stick that sucker so it can be ridden all fixed wheel style…then you need to worry about the chain…
i could see that making it so that you couldn’t coast… but will it work well enough to brake the rear wheel?
it’s a threaded hub. freewheel old school specalized hub. It has sealed bearings. Will that be a problem?
Thom
Not at all. You’re in, bud. Ditch the freewheel and thread a track cog right onto the hub.
If i ride at 18mph avg.How aboout a 45x18 with 700 wheels. Got a better idea ?
Thom
That equates to 91 rpm – decent. You could go slightly higher. 42x17 is kind of a standard (93 rpm @ 18 mph, which is just slightly lower than what you proposed). I do a 44x16 single speed on 650s, which is just a bit higher.
I am stuck with the 45 crank gear.I don’t need to spend any money if I don’t have to. It is off a PX10. I want to use the bike for ice biking this winter plus fun training. The frame will take 700x38c tires. Thats a lot of screws. ha ha.
Thom
Thanks for the help.
you obviously have never done this. Grease will not seize the freewheel enough to allow you stop the bike with backpedal pressure.
-SD
I am stuck with the 45 crank gear.I don’t need to spend any money if I don’t have to. It is off a PX10. I want to use the bike for ice biking this winter plus fun training. The frame will take 700x38c tires. Thats a lot of screws. ha ha.
Thom
Thanks for the help.
Everything you need to know is here: http://sheldonbrown.com/fixed/index.html. Ice biking sounds pretty dangerous, are you sure don’t want to just ride a singlespeed?!!
brider said…
Re-dish the wheel to bring the hub in the center, and thread on a track cog to that baby, with an old bottom bracket lockring (it’s the same thread size usually) and you’re good to go. Not as secure as a reverse threaded track lockring, but IS a fixed cog. I did this with an old MTB hub for my single speed… Worked pretty well. You might need to add a spacer or two to get the chainline right, but it’ll work.
When I did this with a Shimano 105 threaded freewheel rear hub, there was not enough threads on the hub to also put on a bb lockring.
If you have the same problem, you might want to put some blue Loc-tite on the hub threads to insure that the sprocket doesn’t come loose - especially if you are planning on doing a lot of back pedaling or track stands.
Ice biking sounds pretty dangerous, are you sure don’t want to just ride a singlespeed?!!
It got to be safer then street riding !
Thom
not sure I like the idea of accidently spiking myself on someones ice wheels!
Very true – freewheel threads don’t leave a lot of room for the cog AND the lockring if you have to use ANY spacers. In fact, if you use spacers, likely you won’t be able to get a lockring on at all. There are some devices out there that converts a threaded freewheel hub to a track hub, but I haven’t seen any in years, so I don’t know if they’re still in production (Sheldon Brown would know). In that case, redishing the wheel wouldn’t be required.
I just had a wheel built with an eccentric flip flop hub on it so I can ride fixed or singlespeed. saves alot of bother even though it is expensive (compared to jamming up an old freewheel or something).
Here is step by step with options:
http://sheldonbrown.com/deakins/how-to-fixed-conversion.html
I will be doing this the easy way later this year and buying a 27 inch fixed rear wheel from these guys.
Hed makes a thread on adapter for there track conversions.Gives you great chain line.
Cullen
I am so slow I don’t think Hed will sell to me 
I am redishing my 5 speed wheel.
So far the price of the bike is still free.
Thanks for the help Thom